Why does espresso taste so much better in Italy?

Martin Jungfer

18.8.2023

Translation: Julia Graham

Going to Italy without having an espresso is impossible. A lot of people rave about its caffès. South of the Alps, espressos aren’t just ridiculously cheap but often better than at home.

My dream destination is well signposted as we set off on holiday. When I travel south with my family, we’re guaranteed to stop at the first Autogrill eatery. Not because the toilet facilities or the piles of toys and food you get at Italian service stations impress me. Nope. It’s the coffee that sways me. For 1.50 euros, I can get an unbeatable espresso in the bistro. From the aroma to the taste and appearance, everything is just right. The espressos you get in Switzerland for around five francs simply can’t compete.

But why?

According to Autogrill data, 120 million cups of coffee are brewed and drunk annually at their bistros (site in Italian), the equivalent of almost 230 beverages per second. Having professional machines the likes of Cimbali running constantly is certainly an important factor in terms of taste. When they’re always operating, nothing needs to be preheated to get the perfect temperature required for successful flavour extraction.

The people working the machines are also masters of their craft. Anyone who fills hundreds, maybe even thousands of cups a day has a routine. Every receipt marks a new order, which they usually complete with stoic composure. They take a cup from the tower, place it under the outlet, add the spoon to the saucer, pour coffee into the cup, which then goes onto the saucer and off they go to the counter with it. If anyone wants sugar, they can help themselves to some from the mountains of packets piled up. And with a fingernail mark etched across the receipt, the Italian barista marks the job as done. I mean why would they pick up a pen? That’d take too long.

Autogrill, the company

Autogrill is now a global company, mainly specialising in system catering. It generates over four billion euros in sales with a workforce totalling 40,000+ employees. The more than 200 Autogrill service stations on Italy’s motorways are still an important pillar of the company. A lot of the sites boast striking architecture. They’d always show films at Autogrill stations, for example the 1962 comedy Il Sorpasso, directed by Dino Risi and which you may know better by its English title, The Easy Life. There you have it.

Nevertheless, Autogrill’s 120 million cups of coffee are only a fraction of total Italian consumption. The country lives and breathes coffee. Rome resident Luzi Bernet, who works there as the Italian correspondent for the Neue Zürcher newspaper, knows this all too well.

He confirms that my positive perception of Italian espresso isn’t just a figment of my imagination. In Italy, he tells me, there’s a real cult following for caffè or espresso – and the further south you go, the more marked this is. An Italian breakfast consists of a cup of coffee and a cornetto pastry or a small biscotto, a kind of biscuit or cookie. You eat at the counter. In Rome, Luzi says the whole thing will set you back about two or three euros. If you want, you can add a sweet, filled gipfeli, a denser take on a croissant, as an extra. Clocking in at just ten minutes, your morning break is manageable, and there’s even time for heated discussions about the latest football results, Luzi tells me with a laugh.

According to Luzi, what makes a good caffé or espresso in Italy is the beans and how they’re refined in the most significant and best roasting houses. Napoli and Campania in particular are «the strongholds of really good Italian coffee». They put special emphasis on a lovely crema on top of the espresso. What’s more, locals claim that the water and air have a positive impact on the production process.

And where does Luzi find the best espressos? Here’s his insider tip:

The baristas in these places have more practice, the machine always has the right pressure and the coffee is always freshly ground. That’s why I always say, where you find a lot of people, you find good coffee. For example, at the harbour bar or at train stations.

The right beans alone aren’t enough

But I can’t exactly go to the nearest harbour bar every time I want an espresso. Is there a way of creating some of the Italian magic yourself? Luzi’s tip about the beans was valuable. I soon find that Autogrill bistros often use Kimbo beans. In Switzerland, the Sorgenti company distributes beans from Naples. Their CEO is Salvatore Simili. He tells me over the phone that, in theory, I should be able to create 99% Italian caffè in Switzerland. I could easily get the right beans on Galaxus – there’d even be an Autogrill mixture.

However, my stumbling block would be my machine. In the professional catering business, there are some that cost as much as a well-equipped Fiat 500, i.e. 20,000 euros or more. Very few restaurants in Switzerland could afford that, especially as the Italian coffee bar culture doesn’t exist here.

At home, my fully automatic coffee machine is even more of a limiting factor. And I can’t expect a machine from the likes of DeLonghi to handle industry beans, which are generally oilier. Home grinders just aren’t cut out for it. So I may as well not worry about two other points: the water and climate specific to Italy. It’s not like I can simulate the latter anyway. As for the water, I could’ve tried to create an espresso from a 1.5 l bottle I bought when I was there. Italian professionals obviously do it without special water. Salvatore Simili tells me that normal tap water flows into their machines. But it first has to pass through a filter that adjusts the water hardness.

Rules for enjoying coffee in Italy

So it looks like I won’t be able to attempt an original Italian espresso at home. The only thing left to do is wait for the next trip south. At least I can be Italian about my coffee consumption. According to Luzi Bernet, this is important. No one in Italy drinks a cappuccino after lunch. In the morning, on the other hand, almost anything is allowed and possible. Espresso with or without sugar, with a shot of cold or warm milk, or without. You can add a sprinkle of cocoa powder to the cappuccino foam if you want or leave it off. Only one thing is fixed. You always drink the glass of water served with the caffè beforehand in order to cleanse your mouth. In the afternoon and evening, the coffee selection gets narrower. There’s usually only espresso or ristretto on offer. The latter is less acidic, making it easier to digest after your dinner.

What do you think of Italian «caffè»? Let me know in the comments if this leaves you cold, or if you’d be up for an espresso right about now.

Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment. more

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